The Previous Night
YANTAI COAST, CHINA – 50 KILOMETERS SOUTHEAST
The night blanketed the Yellow Sea in darkness. Waves crashed against the shore in a steady rhythm.
In a small cove sheltered by towering cliffs, a long, completely black vessel emerged from the water without making the slightest sound. It had no propellers or conventional engines; instead, it glided across the waves, propelled by magical energy that left almost no trace on the surface.
The side hatch opened with a pneumatic hiss.
Iara was the first to step out. Her black hair swayed in the sea breeze, and her dark eyes scanned the coastline with the precision of a serpent stalking its prey. On her left forearm, the Serpent Mark glowed faintly beneath her combat suit.
Behind her, two dozen soldiers armed with magical weapons disembarked in perfect order. Each of them wore the emblem of the Eagle Faction.
"The area is clear," one of them said as he checked a portable device. "The sensors detect no presence within a fifty-kilometer radius."
Iara never took her eyes off the horizon.
"Move out. Activate your magical camouflage systems. We must arrive before dawn so we'll be ready before they enter the cavern."
"If those children manage to reach the next chamber, whatever is inside it, we must obtain it."
Without another word, they set out to ambush the exploration team.
Back to the Present – The Relic Chamber
"At last... you've arrived."
The voice echoed through the dark void where I had become trapped. It wasn't a sound reaching my ears; it seemed to flow through every fiber of my being.
I tried to move, but my body wouldn't respond. I felt as though I were floating—fully conscious, yet completely unable to control my limbs.
"Who are you?" I managed to ask, though I wasn't even sure I had spoken aloud.
The darkness before me began to swirl. Golden particles of light emerged from nowhere, slowly gathering until they formed the outline of a human figure.
Then it spoke.
"I am a fragment of the consciousness that dwells within you."
The figure became clearer. I still couldn't distinguish any features. All I could see was a human-shaped silhouette.
"I am part of the consciousness of the First Bearer," it said again.
I felt the mark on my back burn more intensely than ever before. It wasn't painful, but it felt as though the mark recognized the figure. As if the pieces of a puzzle had finally fallen into place.
"What is all of this?" I asked, my voice trembling.
The figure stepped toward me.
"I don't know what words your era uses to describe what happened to me. But I am only a fragment."
"A fragment?"
"Yes. Only a small fragment of the consciousness of the one you call the First. When we discovered what the Supreme Beings had done to us, I knew I had to act. But we didn't possess enough power to stop them."
The figure pointed to my arm, where my bracelet glowed with a faint light.
"Your bracelet, like the one before you, contains part of my memories and the complete truth behind the Supreme Beings and our creation."
"I divided my consciousness. I scattered it among relics. I hid them throughout the world in places of great importance."
"Each relic, along with the place where it rests, contains information vital to humanity's survival."
I immediately remembered the objects I had seen: the O'Broin family's bracelet that I carried with me, the Orleans necklace, and the Zevianko rings I had seen inside the mansion in Anadier...
"The family relics... Right."
"Correct." The figure nodded slowly. "Each one contains a part of me. And you, Noah, already possess the first—the one that holds my original essence, the one that has guided you here. With this one, you now possess two. Your duty is to gather them all and save humanity from its destruction."
I shook my head in disbelief.
"But I didn't... I never chose this. The mark appeared on my back. The O'Broin relic chose me. All of this happened without me..."
"Do you truly believe it was a coincidence?" the voice asked more firmly. "Your birth was planned. Your bloodline was carefully cultivated. Every generation of bearers has been prepared for this very moment."
I felt the ground—or whatever was supporting me—shift beneath me.
"Planned? By whom?"
The figure stepped closer until I could feel the energy radiating from it.
"I do not have that answer. To find it, you must gather all of the remaining relics. Only then will you obtain every answer you seek."
"The only thing I can tell you is this: you are the key to restoring what was broken. Each relic contains a fragment of my consciousness, as well as a fragment of the Supreme Beings' original power. You must find them all. You must unite them."
"And what will happen when I do?"
"When every fragment has been reunited... humanity will finally be able to stand against them."
Without another word, the figure began to fade away.
"Wait!" I shouted with all my strength, reaching out my hand. "Don't leave me like this. I need more answers."
"The answers lie within the relics. Find them, and when you are ready... the truths of the past will reveal themselves."
The figure vanished completely.
The darkness slowly dissolved.
And Noah felt his consciousness return to his body.
Just after I was enveloped by darkness, Eleonor and Sophie were trying to get in to rescue me; they believed I had fallen into some sort of trap.
At that moment, everyone's communicators activated simultaneously. A red warning light flashed continuously as the emergency alarm blared.
Irina activated hers.
"What's happening?"
The sound of an explosion came through the communicator, followed by the frantic voice of one of the agents.
"We're under attack! I repeat, we're under attack! Security perimeter compromised!"
"Everyone, battle positions!" Irina shouted. "I have visual contact. Five individuals. I'm also detecting the presence of spiritual beasts."
Suddenly, a massive black serpent burst out of the ground, lunging at Irina's neck. Before it could strike, but it was stopped by Eleonor's ice spears.
"So... it's you, you damned traitor."
Footsteps echoed through the chamber's entrance as the silhouette of a young woman slowly approached.
"I see you've improved a great deal since the last time we met, Eleonor."
"It can't be..." Elena whispered. "That's Iara Almeida, the Serpent Guardian... and the second strongest Guardian after Mikahil."
"That means she's currently the most powerful Guardian," Kenji said. "But... what is she doing here?"